On politics in the Golden State

Food labeling initiative draws most mentions on Twitter

Facing a crowded California ballot in November, tech-savvy voters seem to be focusing their attention on one initiative in particular: Proposition 37, the genetically engineered food labeling measure.

According to an analysis by Twitter, Golden State users of the social media site tweeted more about Proposition 37 than any other ballot measure in the last three months. Users mentioned the initiative 13,214 during that time. By comparison, Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative, Proposition 30, drew 8,770 Twitter mentions.

While the study is hardly a predictor of voter behavior, it signals increased interest from the public as election day nears and the airwaves are flooded with political ads. Tweets mentioning most of California's ballot measures have spiked in recent weeks.

The numbers also show that the initiative campaigns face some tough competition for voters' attention.

Over the last week, Twitter users in California tweeted about the World Series more than 25,000 times. The biggest initiative draw during that time was Proposition 37, with 3,716 mentions.

The least mentioned initiative on Twitter was Proposition 40, a referendum on newly drawn state Senate districts. The measure drew just 63 tweets in the last three months, with all of those mentions in the last two weeks, after the Republican lawmakers and activists who sponsored the initiative dropped their campaign for it.